Chapter 24:
– Naruko –
Naruko's heart raced as she ran through the door of The Fox Hole. She needed Haru's help, and she needed it now.
Gaara was in danger!
If they didn't act fast, the Akatsuki would succeed in extracting his tailed beast, and Gaara might not survive that.
Her eyes darted around the restaurant. To her disappointment, Haru wasn't there. Instead, Enri stood behind the counter, pouring drinks a bit nervously, while another woman with bright red hair leaned casually against the bar. Naruko's eyes narrowed as she took in the sight of the new redhead. Tight black jeans, a plain tank top, and a body and face that could kill. She was striking, and that made Naruko bristle with annoyance.
…Another potential love rival?
The woman glanced at her with a raised eyebrow as Enri finished serving a mug of mead to Agnar, who sat next to Serana.
"You actually drink this?" the red-haired woman asked Serana, handing her a glass filled with blood.
"Indeed, I told you, I'm a vampire," Serana replied before taking a slow sip and flashing a smile with blood-stained lips. "Mmm, that hits the spot."
"Thanks for the mead, Enri lass," Agnar said, lifting his mug before taking a long drink. He turned back to the counter and frowned. "Where's my friend Haru, and who's the new waitress?"
Naruko stepped forward, her eyes on the unfamiliar woman. Agnar and Serana noticed her and nodded in greeting, while Enri gave her a warm smile.
"Hi, everyone. I'm looking for Haru too," Naruko said before turning her attention to the redhead. "Hello, I'm Naruko… Haru and I just started dating," she said, making sure her words sounded like a challenge.
Serana snickered, and Agnar let out a hearty laugh. "Haru is truly a man among men!" he declared before getting a sharp smack on the back of the head from Serana, who glared at him.
"A third one?" the red-haired woman muttered, raising an eyebrow at Enri. "I thought Haru said he only had two girlfriends."
Naruko pouted. "We're not official yet… we haven't even gone on a date. But we will!" she said with determination.
"Okay…?" The woman gave her a puzzled look. "I don't know why you're telling me all this. And I'm Alice, by the way. I've been helping out here since Haru and his friends saved me from… well, a very unpleasant death."
Naruko's heart sank a little. Haru had saved her life? That was a bad sign. Every romance novel she'd ever read made it clear that girls whose lives were saved by their hero always fell for them. She sighed and felt a wave of frustration. It wasn't fair. She hadn't even gotten her first date with Haru yet because Lady Tsunade kept her so busy. The second she saw Haru again, she was dragging him into the village for their date, no excuses.
"That sounds like an interesting tale," Agnar said, holding up his mug. "You should tell us."
Serana nodded. "Yes, I'd like to hear it as well."
"We don't have time for that!" Naruko blurted, remembering why she was here. "Well, I don't have time for that. One of my friends—Gaara—has been abducted by an evil terrorist organization that wants to conquer the world. I need help to save him."
Agnar's eyes lit up, and he jumped off his stool, the heavy black armor clanking as he moved. "The call to adventure has come knocking, and the Dragonborn shall answer in place of my best friend, Haru! Do not worry, lass, I shall rescue your friend and slay these villains!"
Naruko's eyes widened in surprise, then a smile broke across her face. "You'll help? Thank you so much! Um… it's pretty far away, though. Can you travel quickly with all that armor on?"
Agnar smirked. "Heh, I have the means to travel across Skyrim in a few hours. However far we need to go, it shall be no burden to me." He turned to Serana. "Do you want to come along on an adventure, my love?"
Serana took another sip of her drink and shook her head. "I'm good. You have fun, Agnar. You can tell me all about it when you get back..."
…
Agnar walked alongside Naruko through the streets of the Hidden Leaf Village, taking in the sights with a curious eye. "Your village is nice," he said. "I like how fresh the air is."
"That's because of all the Hashirama trees surrounding Konoha," Naruko explained, glancing at him. She noticed how his ebony armor caught the sunlight, making him stand out even more than usual. The villagers' stares ranged from curious to wary, and she caught a few glares directed at her as well. It was something she was used to, though it still made her blood boil a little.
They pushed on until they reached the front gates, where her team was waiting. Naruto was pacing anxiously, Sakura stood with her arms crossed, and Kakashi leaned against the gatepost, looking relaxed as usual, even with one eye peeking out from his book.
Sakura's eyes lit up as she spotted them. "Aww, you didn't bring Haru with you," she said with a pout.
Naruko clenched her fists, growling in irritation. Sakura and Ino were both still interested in Haru annoyingly.
"Haru wasn't there. This is Agnar—"
"Nice to meet you, everyone!" Agnar interrupted, his voice booming. "I am Agnar, Haru's best friend. I'm here to kick some ass and take back your friend Gura from those foul, dastardly men!"
"It's actually Gaara…" Naruto corrected quietly, but Agnar was already moving on to Kakashi, extending his hand.
"Are you the leader of this group? Well met!" Agnar declared.
Naruko couldn't help but snicker as Kakashi muttered under his breath, something about Agnar being as loud as Guy-sensei. Kakashi looked up and gave Agnar a polite nod. "Nice to meet you, too. Are you okay with traveling long distances in that armor? We need to move quickly."
Agnar let out a hearty laugh. "Naruko asked me the same thing. But worry not, none of us shall tire ourselves running on foot. We shall ride my summon."
"You have a summon?" Naruko's eyes widened. She didn't expect someone from another world to have a summoning technique.
Agnar tilted his head back and shouted a name with a power that seemed to shake the very ground, "DUR NEH VIIR!!!"
The air felt like it was buzzing around them, and the sudden intensity made Naruko's heart skip a beat.
"What the fuck was that?" Naruto grumbled, looking around wildly.
The answer came moments later as they heard the powerful flapping of massive wings. All eyes turned skyward as a dark shape descended, growing larger as it approached. When it landed with a powerful thud just outside the village gates, everyone gaped.
"Is that an actual dragon!?" Sakura shouted, her eyes wide in disbelief.
The dragon was massive, with scales as dark as the night and eyes that glowed with a fierce intelligence. It lowered its head, acknowledging Agnar with a deep rumble.
"Aye, this is my companion, Dur-Neh-Viir," Agnar said proudly. "He will carry us to your friend."
Naruko's mouth hung open for a moment before she broke into a grin. "This is going to be awesome!"
Naruto, still staring at the dragon, muttered, "I'm not sure if this is terrifying or the coolest thing ever."
"Both," Kakashi said, closing his book and sighing. "Definitely both..."
– Haru –
I suddenly had this gut feeling I was missing out on something awesome. But I didn't have time to think about it because a whole bunch of robots were trying to kill me.
As I stepped out of Zhu's Hope, I got my first clear look at the Geth. Most of them looked like bipedal machines with two arms and legs, but there were also a couple of massive ones that were basically walking tanks. Bullets and large globs of plasma came flying in my direction the second they spotted me. These robots didn't even try talking, they just went straight to killing, and looking at Feros—what was left of it—told me enough. This place was a wasteland now, an entire colony wiped off the map.
I let the bullets bounce off me, stinging a little but nothing I couldn't handle. The plasma shots, though—that was another story. I dodged those whenever I could, watching one of the globs melt through a foot of steel on the rampart nearby. Those hits wouldn't just sting… They'd singe my beautiful fur!
Ahead of me stretched a long, tattered highway, with no sign of Shepard. Just a bunch of Geth between me and finding her. I figured I had a long way to go, and it looked like I'd have to tear through this whole army of robots to get there.
Charging toward the closest Geth, I wanted to see how tough these clunky droids really were. The robot actually looked surprised, if that was even possible, as I appeared right in front of it in a blur of speed. I rammed my hand through its metal chest, tearing through circuits and wires before yanking my hand back. The Geth trooper collapsed, sparks flying everywhere.
The rest of them didn't seem to like that. They opened fire, unloading everything they had. I smirked. This universe's technology really wasn't ready for anything like me.
I darted across the highway, zigzagging between the Geth as I ripped them apart, one by one. The smaller ones went down fast, unable to keep up with my speed. The big white tank Geth tried to blast me with those plasma shots, but they were slow, and I dodged them easily.
Once the smaller troopers were scrap metal on the ground, I turned to the three tanks that remained. To my surprise, they started backing away. So, they had a sense of self-preservation. But that wasn't going to help them today. Not after they'd wiped out an entire city's worth of people.
"You're all pretty big," I said with a smirk, eyeing their 15-foot frames as I took slow steps toward them. "But you know what? I'm bigger."
I leapt forward, shifting into my full yokai form mid-air. I towered over them as a 30-foot tall, golden, nine-tailed fox. I let out a snarl as I pounced, tearing the last of the Geth tanks apart with my claws. Bits of metal and circuitry flew everywhere, and within seconds, the remaining Geth were nothing but scraps scattered across the ruined highway.
With them dealt with, I lifted my nose and took a deep breath, sniffing the air to try and pick up Shepard's scent. Luckily, it wasn't too hard to find. There weren't many humans left on this planet, and Shepard's scent stood out like a beacon.
Digging my claws into the cracked cement, I took off down the highway, my massive form barreling through the ruins as I closed in on her location.
– Shepard –
"You always take us to the best places, Shepard," Wrex said happily, ducking under a hail of gunfire and sliding behind cover. He swung his shotgun around the corner and fired off a few blind shots. The sound of metal hitting metal and the crackle of circuits shorting out confirmed he'd hit his targets. "This is so much fun!"
"I fail to see how this is fun," Tali muttered, fingers flying over her omni-tool as she tried to hack the door that was their only way out. The room they were in was small, practically a kill box, and Geth were pouring in from every direction, their glowing eyes cold and relentless.
"Less talky, more hackey, Tali!" Shepard shouted. "Oh, shit, rocket!" She threw up a biotic barrier just in time, and the red glow shimmered in front of them as a massive Geth aimed and launched a rocket their way. The explosion hit the barrier and rocked the room, sending dust and debris flying everywhere. Shepard grit her teeth as she held the barrier in place. Her arms trembled, but it held firm.
As soon as the blast dissipated, she dropped the barrier, and Garrus took his shot. The crack of his sniper rifle echoed as the Geth's head shattered, the robot collapsing in a heap of sparking metal. "This is a mess," Garrus said. "Saren's been gone for weeks. We're chasing ghosts."
"I know," Shepard said, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. Every moment they spent here made her more anxious. They needed answers about the Thorian—what it was and why it was so damn important to Saren. This building, which was on the verge of falling apart, held those answers. And it was not proving easy! She'd almost died at least three times today, which wasn't her all-time record, but it was getting close.
"Eat shit, Geth!" Wrex shouted. His shotgun had overheated, so he tossed it aside and tackled one of the larger Geth, smashing it into the ground with his fists. The thing crumpled under his strength, wires and metal shards scattering. No human could've done that. The Geth looked like they'd been pulled from some cheap, old Earth movie, but they were built tougher than they looked.
"I got it!" Tali shouted, the door hissing as it unlocked and slid open.
"About damn time," Ashley muttered, leaning against the wall and pressing her hand to a bleeding wound in her stomach. She was tough, Shepard had to give her that. Stomach wounds were some of the worst, and Ashley wasn't even flinching. Just grimacing, eyes sharp and focused.
"Let's move, people!" Shepard ran over and looped her arm around Ashley, helping her to her feet. They didn't have the luxury of slowing down. They pushed through the open doorway, blasting Geth that tried to block their path. Every floor seemed packed with more of the damn machines, but they fought their way up, step by step, room by room.
"Tali, how close are we?" Shepard called out as she reloaded her pistol.
Tali glanced at her omni-tool. "We're nearly there. The main server room should be just down the hall."
"Good," Shepard said. "We get the info, then we're out of this death trap."
The whole building shook violently, the floor rattling under Shepard's boots as pieces of the ceiling started crashing down. Garrus ducked instinctively as debris narrowly missed him. "Oh shit! That's not good."
"What's happening?" Shepard yelled, fighting to keep her balance.
"The Geth dropship is firing on the building!" Tali shouted, eyes wide in panic as she glanced at her omni-tool.
The rumbling grew worse, and then an explosion tore through the wall, sending everyone flying. Shepard hit the ground hard, the impact knocking the wind out of her. She gasped for air, coughing as dust filled her lungs. She glanced to her side and saw Ashley sprawled out, the patch on her stomach wound bleeding again.
"Motherf—" Shepard scrambled to her feet and rushed to Ashley, quickly applying more medi-gel to the wound. It was a temporary fix, but it would have to do until they made it back to the Normandy.
"These damn Geth are trying to kill us the cowardly way," Wrex said, snarling as he pushed himself up and looked out the gaping hole in the wall.
Shepard followed his gaze. A massive Geth dropship hovered outside, its weapons pointed right at them, glowing with an ominous blue light. Her heart clenched. This was it. They were out of options. The old saying about your life flashing before your eyes didn't happen for her. All she felt was regret—regret that she was going to fail this mission, that she was going to get her team killed here on this desolate, lifeless planet.
She also regretted never dragging Haru into her bed the first time she'd met him. Dammit.
"Roooooaaaaarrr!" A deep, earth-shaking roar filled the air. Shepard's eyes shot up in surprise.
"What the hell is that?" Garrus shouted, scrambling to his feet.
"Ha! Hell yeah!" Wrex's eyes lit up as he pointed out the window. A massive, golden, nine-tailed fox appeared between the building and the dropship, a sight straight out of Earth's myths. It was Haru, his enormous form surrounded by flickers of blue flame that kept him floating mid-air.
"The ship's firing again!" Tali screamed as the dropship's weapons powered up.
A second ago that would have been the end of them, but now Shepherd knew they were going to be fine.
Haru's nine tails whipped forward, intercepting the plasma shots with a series of loud, fiery impacts. He let out a couple of sharp yips of pain, the ends of his tails getting singed, but he didn't falter. With another roar, he ran forward, using the very air beneath him as a platform.
"Hell yeah! Tear it apart, barkeep!" Wrex shouted as Haru leapt onto the dropship, claws and teeth ripping into the hull like it was made of paper. Metal shrieked and sparks flew as he carved out a massive hole and shoved his head inside. Blue fire erupted from his mouth, filling the interior of the ship.
Shepard's heart thudded in her chest as she watched the dropship begin to tilt and then spiral downwards. It crashed fifty floors below with an earth-shaking boom, a plume of fire and debris exploding into the sky. The shockwave sent a gust of wind up to them, rattling the building even more.
Haru, still in his massive fox form, turned back and trotted over the air to them. His voice had a rougher edge to it as he spoke in this form. "Is everyone okay?"
Shepard nodded but gestured to Ashley. "She's hurt badly. She needs medical attention, fast. Can you get us to our Mako?"
Haru shook his large head. "Pretty sure I saw it get blown up before I got here."
Damn it. That Mako had been a gift to the Normandy from the Alliance, and replacing it was going to be a nightmare.
"I got the data, Shepard!" Tali said, holding up her omni-tool triumphantly.
Mission accomplished, at least.
Haru's tails shifted, one of them reaching out and carefully wrapping around Ashley to lift her onto his back. "All of you, hop on. I'll take you back to Zhu's Hope."
One by one, they leapt out of the hole in the wall, landing on Haru's soft, golden fur. Shepard took one last look at the burning wreckage of the Geth dropship before settling in. Haru's massive form began to move, running through the sky as if it were solid ground, carrying them back toward the Normandy.
– Haru –
Gabriel and Alenko were waiting for us when we made it back to Zhu's Hope, along with a couple of other Normandy soldiers I vaguely recognized. I lowered myself to the ground and everyone slid off my back, but I was extra careful with Ashley. She'd lost a lot of blood, and I could sense just how close to death she was.
I transformed back into my humanoid form immediately and called out to Gabriel. She rushed over to Ashley's side without hesitation, her expression turning serious.
Shepard stared at Gabriel, clearly taken aback. "Is that…?" she trailed off, looking like she couldn't believe what she was seeing.
"Yeah, that's the Archangel Gabriel," I said. "She decided to drop by today." I grinned. "Oh, and she healed Joker, by the way."
Shepard just blinked at me, her mouth slightly open. "Holy shit."
Gabriel didn't waste time. She placed a gentle hand on Ashley's wound, and a golden light enveloped her. Within seconds, Ashley's eyes shot open, and she started patting her stomach, as if trying to find the injury that had been there.
"I'm okay…?" Ashley murmured, sounding shocked.
"You are now," Gabriel said, giving her a warm smile. Ashley's eyes widened as she took in Gabriel's twelve white wings. I remembered Ashley mentioning she was pretty religious once, so seeing an actual Archangel must've been something else for her. I cleared my throat and quickly introduced Ashley and Gabriel. Ashley was still basically speechless, but Gabriel just chuckled and told her, "It's always a joy to meet someone with so much faith." Gabriel then turned to me and explained that she had found the Thorian and "purified" it. "It was too hostile to allow it to continue existing," she said. "I hope it finds peace in whatever afterlife it may reach."
In other words, she'd smited the giant, mind-controlling plant. Kind of wish I'd seen that.
"Damn it," Shepard muttered. "The Thorian's gone? So how are we supposed to find out what Saren was after?"
Gabriel gave her a reassuring smile. "I found a young woman there, freed from the Thorian's control. She said she'd been connected to the plant's mind and had access to much of its knowledge. She's unconscious now, but she should awaken soon and will likely have the answers you need."
Shepard exhaled, relieved. "Good. Mission accomplished, then." She turned to me, giving me a grateful look. "Thanks for coming to save us, Haru."
"Anytime." I glanced at Alenko and added, "He's the one who came to get me, actually." I wasn't about to hog all the credit. Alenko gave me a grin, looking pleased—though it faded quickly as Shepard stepped forward and grabbed my hand.
Then she gave me that look—the one I'd seen plenty of times before. The one that meant there was only one thing on her mind. "We've got a couple hours to kill, and I've got a lot of stress to work off," she said to me. Before I could even respond, she started dragging me toward the Normandy. There was no mistaking where she was headed—straight for her captain's quarters. As we left, Shepard glanced back at everyone and shouted, "If anyone needs us... DON'T!" She laughed, and I could still see the dumbfounded looks on everyone's faces as we disappeared into the ship.
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